In Chapter 1, Tsuyoshi lives with his wife Rie, daughter Sakura, and son Haruto. Tsuyoshi, an only child, promised his parents to take care of them in their old age. His mother is reserved, making Tsuyoshi the only one she trusts. Five years later, Tsuyoshi fulfills his filial duty and returns to his hometown. However, upon returning home, he notices a different atmosphere and his children, Sakura and Haruto, seem distant. Despite his efforts to support his mother, he feels a sense of emptiness and wonders what has happened to his family in the past five years.
Continuation from last time. I (Tsuyoshi) live with my wife Rie, daughter Sakura, and son Haruto. Being an only child, my parents always said, “You’ll take care of us in our old age” from a young age. Even on his deathbed, my father reminded me to check on my mother. My mother is shy, and the only one she trusts is me. She can be harsh with Rie and struggles with interacting with the kids. I couldn’t involve my family in these matters. I endured with my mother’s support. Five years later, I finally fulfilled my duty to my parents and returned to my hometown.
Upon returning home, the atmosphere was clearly different from before. The kids, who were in elementary school five years ago, are now in middle and high school. During dinner, when I talked to Sakura as before, she just stared at me.
When I welcomed Haruto home, he just gave me a cold look and said, “I’ll take a bath first” before leaving. Rie replied naturally, “Okay, I’ll leave the food out for you to warm up,” but I couldn’t help but wonder where I was and just stood there.
I was clearly surprised when I stood next to Sakura getting ready in the bathroom. She nodded and quickly left, avoiding me.
The kids didn’t want to talk to me, and it seemed like they weren’t even aware of my presence. I didn’t want to cause trouble for my family, so I carried on alone for five years. There were many times I wanted to see my family, to go home. But I couldn’t abandon my mother and so I persevered for five years…
I was able to fulfill my duty to my mother without regret. I’m grateful to my family who patiently watched over me for the past five years. So I thought I would live for the sake of my family from now on…
The children’s reactions after coming home were a bit strange and distant. Initially, I thought it was a sign of their growth, but I felt the coldness only directed towards me. What happened to him after five years of working hard to not trouble the family? A sense of emptiness engulfed me.
To be continued in [Episode 6].
Original concept: Mamasta Community, Script: Watanabe Tae, Illustration: Nekota Kayo, Editing: Ii Teruko